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From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcitizencit‧i‧zen /ˈsɪtɪzən/ ●●●S2W2 noun [countable]1LIVE SOMEWHEREsomeone who lives in a particular town, country, or stateWe need our schools to teach students to be good citizens.The mayor urged citizens to begin preparing for a major storm. →senior citizen2COUNTRY/NATIONsomeone who legally belongs to a particular country and has rights and responsibilities there, whether they are living there or not → nationalAt the time, there were over 2,000 British citizens living in Iraq.3 →second-class citizenCOLLOCATIONS – Meaning 1 : someone who lives in a particular town, country, or stateadjectivesa good citizenOne of the aims of education is to produce good citizens.a law-abiding citizen (=never breaking the law)Most of the people in this town are law-abiding citizens.a respectable/decent citizen (=good and honest)There are gangs on the streets who are terrorizing respectable citizens.an upstanding/upright citizen (=honest and responsible)The rest of his family are honest upright citizens.a model citizen (=a very good one)His neighbours described him as a model citizen.an ordinary citizen (also a regular citizen American English)The government is not aware of the views of ordinary citizens.a senior citizen (=someone over 60 years old, or someone who has retired)There are special clubs for senior citizens.somebody’s fellow citizens (=people who live in the same town, country etc as you)70% of our fellow citizens live in poverty.a private citizen (=an ordinary citizen without a public position)Laws exist to protect private citizens.a leading/prominent citizen (=an important one)The protests were led by leading citizens in the community.THESAURUScitizen someone who lives in a particular town, country, or stateIn order to become a US citizen, you need to have a Permanent Resident card. All British citizens have the right to live in the UK. Good citizens understand that they have a responsibility to the community.national a citizen of a country who is living in another countryShe insisted that foreign nationals were safe in the country.Russians nationals were ordered to leave.Her husband is a French national.resident someone who lives in a particular street or areaThere have been complaints by local residents about the building work.She was a resident of Chicago for many years.native someone who was born in a particular country but moved to another country – used when describing a person or their lifePicasso was a native of Spain, although he spent much of his life in France.subject someone who was born in a country that has a king or queen, and has a right to live thereNorthern Ireland citizens are British subjects.alien formal someone who is not a legal citizen of the country they are living or working in – used in officialcontextsEmployers cannot hire illegal aliens.